Between 1943 and 1951, about 350 men and women from 13 Allied nations served as the men and women of the Monuments, Fine Arts & Archives section (MFAA) of the Allied armed forces. They were part of an ambitious effort to preserve the world’s cultural heritage in times of war. Those given this responsibility were simply referred to as Monuments Men. During the fighting in Europe, from D-Day to VE-Day, there were only 65 Monuments Men in the forward operating area. That’s 65 men to cover thousands of square miles, save hundreds of damaged buildings and find millions of cultural items before they were destroyed by the Nazis forever. Monuments Men tells the story of eight of these men: America’s top art conservator; an up-and-coming young museum curator; a sculptor; a straight-arrow architect; a gay New York cultural impresario; and an infantry private with no prior knowledge of or appreciation for art, but first-hand experience as a victim of the Nazi regime. Robert M. Edsel provides us with a book that reads like a novel but is full of facts about a fascinating aspect of the Second World War.

Dates in History

WWI Spring Offensive - The Kaiser's Battle

21st March 1918

At 9.30am on 21st March 1918, the last great battle of the First World War commenced when three German armies struck a massive blow against the weak divisions of the British Third and Fifth Armies. It was the first day of what the Germans called the Kaiserschlacht ('the Kaiser's Battle'), the series of attacks that were intended to break the deadlock on the Western Front, knock the British Army out of the war, and finally bring victory to Germany. In the event the actual cost of the gamble was so heavy that once the assault faltered, it remained for the Allies to push the exhausted German armies back and the War was at last over.

Further Reading

At 9.30am on 21 March 1918, the last great battle of the First World War commenced when three German armies struck a massive blow against the weak divisions of the British Third and Fifth Armies. It was the first day of what the Germans called the Kaiserschlacht (‘the Kaiser’s Battle’),… Read more at Pen & Sword...